15th after pentecost year b - deuteronomy

Our guest queerier for Deuteronomy is River Needham.

Image Description: A tree formed by ribbons of many colors.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
¹And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and to the ordinances, which I teach you, and do them; that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Becoming One, the God of your parents, gives to you.²You shall not add to the words which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Becoming One your God which I command you. 

⁶Observe therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, that, when they hear all these statutes, shall say: "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." ⁷For what great nation is there, that has God so close to them, as the Becoming One our God is whensoever we call upon Em? ⁸And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? ⁹Only pay attention to yourself, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children's children;

Queeries for the text

What's the difference between a statute and an ordinance?

Why do following the laws lead to genocide?

Why does God not need an editor? What are the consequences for editing God?

What is Wisdom? What about understanding?

Why is God staying close? Is that creepy?

How is God staying close related to consent?

What happens to community care when you "only pay attention to yourself"?

What does the assumption of children say about when this was written? 

What are your queeries?

14th after pentecost year b - joshua

Translation Note: I used the JPS 1917 Translation as the basis of this translation. As a means of queering the text, I chose to gender God as She; my expectation is that each week I'll choose a different pronoun or neopronoun to use to gender God. This is my way of living into the realities that God is beyond, between and infinite when compared to the ways that humans can understand God. When necessary for the use of idioms, feel free to alter either the gendered aspect of the idiom or the gendering of God. To that end, I've translated the sacred name of God as the Becoming One.

Joshua 24:1-2, 14-18 JPS 1917, Adapted
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. ²And Joshua said unto all the people: "Thus says the Becoming One, the God of Israel: Your parents dwelt beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods.
¹⁴"Now therefore fear the Becoming One, and serve Her in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your parents served beyond the River, and in Egypt; and serve the Becoming One. ¹⁵And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Becoming One, choose this day who you will serve; whether the gods which your parents served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Becoming One."
¹⁶And the people answered and said: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Becoming One, to serve other gods; ¹⁷for the Becoming One our God, She brought us and our parents up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed; ¹⁸and the Becoming One drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites that dwelt in the land; therefore we also will serve the Becoming One; for She is our God."

Queeries for the text
How are fear and evil constructed in our society? Do they compliment each other here?
How can we honor the land where we dwell?
What does Shechem mean and where else does it show up in the Hebrew Bible and Acts? 
What is the significance of the River?
How have Christians turned away from God?
Why was it important to give God credit for genocide and why do we still do it?
Who are the Amorites? 
How is God with us wherever we go, and keeping us safe today?
How has this passage impacted the ways in which the united states was founded? 

What are your queeries?

13th after pentecost year b - proverbs

Special thanks to friend of the blog and guest queerier this week: River Needham!

Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom has built her house,
she has hewn her seven pillars.  
²She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,
she has also set her table.
³She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls
from the highest places in the town,  
⁴“You that are simple, turn in here!”
To those without sense she says,  
⁵“Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.  
⁶Lay aside immaturity, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”

Queeries for the text:
What does it mean that wisdom has build a complete house?
Who is simple? Who is without sense?
How would a biblical wine cocktail taste?
How do immaturity and insight coexist?
What does it mean to be a strong, powerful, independent woman?
Where do the servant girls go?  Was Hagar an early type of the servant girl?
What is significant about slaughtering her animals?  Does she kill all of them?
How is wine mixed?
Is this different from a homeless shelter or other charity?
How can Christians name Wisdom today?

What are your queeries?

12th after pentecost year b - john

Special thanks this week to Mack Patrick and other Proclaimers, who collaborated on these queeries while we gathered for the annual Proclaim Gathering! 

John 6: 35, 41-51
³⁵Jesus said to them, 
     “I AM the bread of life. 
          Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, 
          and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  
⁴¹Then the Judeans began to complain about Jesus because he said, 
     “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”  
⁴²They were saying, 
     “Is not this Jesus, 
          the son of Joseph, 
               whose father and mother we know? 
          How can he now say, 
               ‘I have come down from heaven’?”  
⁴³Jesus answered them, 
     “Do not complain among yourselves.
          ⁴⁴No one can come to me unless drawn by Abba who sent me; 
          and I will raise that person up on the last day.
          ⁴⁵It is written in the prophets, 
               ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ 
                    Everyone who has heard 
                    and learned from Abba
                         comes to me.
                         ⁴⁶Not that anyone has seen Abba
                              except the one who is from God; 
                                   this one has seen Abba.
          ⁴⁷Very truly, I tell you, 
               whoever believes has everlasting life.
                    ⁴⁸I AM the bread of life.
                         ⁴⁹Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, 
                              and they died.
                    ⁵⁰This is the bread that comes down from heaven, 
                         so that one may eat of it 
                              and not die.
                    ⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from heaven. 
                         Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; 
                              and the bread that I will give 
                                   for the life of the world 
                                        is my flesh.”

Queeries for the text:
Is Jesus the gingerbread man?  What about folks who can't eat gluten?
How can the bread of life keep me from being thirsty?
What did we skip from last week to this week?
How far does Jesus' apple fall from the family tree?
Are they actually trying to take a dig at Joseph through Jesus?
Is this really just the beginning of their complaining?  Do they realize Jesus can hear them?
Did Abba draw us with charcoal?  Pastels?  Crayon?
Does Jesus mostly just want to be incarnate as inanimate objects?
What is the thing that fills us? What sustains us?
How do we know that what we are eating is everlasting?
If the bread is alive, does that mean Jesus is sour dough?  Is Jesus claiming his identity as leavened bread?

What are your queeries?

11th after pentecost year b - john

Special thanks once again this week to River Needham for their collaboration!
 
John 6:24-35
²⁴So when the crowd saw
     that neither Jesus nor his disciples were beside the sea,
          they themselves got into the boats 
          and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
               ²⁵When they found Jesus on the other side of the sea, 
                    they said to him, 
                         “Rabbi, when did you come here?”  
²⁶Jesus answered them, 
     “Very truly, I tell you, 
          you are looking for me, 
               not because you saw signs, 
                    but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
          ²⁷Do not work for the food that perishes, 
               but for the food that endures for everlasting life, 
                    which the Human One will give you. 
                         For it is on the Human One 
                              that God, the Father, has set the seal.” 
²⁸Then they said to Jesus, 
     “What must we do to perform the works of God?”  
²⁹Jesus answered them, 
     “This is the work of God, 
          that you believe in the one whom God has sent.”  
³⁰So they said to Jesus, 
     “What sign are you going to give us then, 
          so that we may see it and believe you? 
               What work are you performing?
          ³¹Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; 
               as it is written, 
                    ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 
³²Then Jesus said to them, 
     “Very truly, I tell you, 
          it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, 
               but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
                    ³³For the bread of God is 
                         that which comes down from heaven 
                         and gives life to the world.”  
³⁴They said to Jesus, 
     “Ruler, give us this bread always.”  
³⁵Jesus said to them, 
     “I AM the bread of life. 
          Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, 
               and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Queeries for the text:
What did we skip from last week to this week?
What kind of seal did "God the Father" set on Jesus?  Can this seal be broken?  Are these seals set on other creatures also?
Is Jesus making faith into a work?
Does Jesus want them to care about the sign or not?
Do they still want to make Jesus king?  Or do they just think that Jesus is a wizard? 
Is manna true bread or elven bread?  Is Jesus manna?
Will the Human One give the bread of life or does God?  Or is the Human One the bread of life?
What am I hungering for?
How does bread quench thirst?
How does Jesus feel about low-carb diet fads? 

What are your queeries?



Sermon: 
Last night's sermon drew on my experience of queerying this text along with the first reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15.  As with other sermons, I understand clearly how they connect, but if you don't or you want to know more, please ask!

The visual for today's sermon.

 

10th after pentecost year b - john

Special thanks to River Needham for their collaboration on questions yet again!

John 6:1-21
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, 
     also called the Sea of Tiberias.
     ²A large crowd kept following him, 
          because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.
     ³Jesus went up the mountain 
     and sat down there with his disciples.
          ⁴Now the Passover, 
               the festival of the Jewish people, 
                    was near.
     ⁵When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, 
          Jesus said to Philip, 
               “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”
                    ⁶Jesus said this to test Philip, 
                         for Jesus knew what he was going to do.
          ⁷Philip answered Jesus, 
               “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread 
                    for each of them to get a little.”
          ⁸One of Jesus' disciples, 
               Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, 
                    said to him,
                         ⁹“There is a child here 
                              who has five barley loaves and two fish. 
                                   But what are they among so many people?”
          ¹⁰Jesus said, 
               “Make the people sit down.” 
                    Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; 
                         so they sat down, 
                              about five thousand in all.
          ¹¹Then Jesus took the loaves, 
               and when he had given thanks, 
                    he distributed them to those who were seated; 
               so also the fish, 
                    as much as they wanted.
               ¹²When they were satisfied, 
                    Jesus told his disciples, 
                         “Gather up the fragments left over, 
                              so that nothing may be lost.”
                                   ¹³So they gathered them up, 
                                   and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, 
                                        left by those who had eaten, 
                                             they filled twelve baskets.
          ¹⁴When the people saw the sign that Jesus had done, 
               they began to say, 
                    “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” 

¹⁵When Jesus realized that they were about to come 
     and take him by force to make him king, 
          he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
     ¹⁶When evening came, 
          Jesus' disciples went down to the sea,
          ¹⁷got into a boat, 
          and started across the sea to Capernaum. 
               It was now dark, 
               and Jesus had not yet come to them.
          ¹⁸The sea became rough 
               because a strong wind was blowing.
                    ¹⁹When they had rowed about three or four miles, 
                         they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, 
                              and they were terrified.
                    ²⁰But Jesus said to them, 
                         “Here I AM; 
                              do not be afraid.”
                                   ²¹Then they wanted to take Jesus into the boat, 
                                        and immediately the boat reached the land 
                                             toward which they were going. 

Queeries for the text:
How many sides are there for Jesus to keep crossing over?
How does Passover's nearness matter?
How do we suffer from a theology of scarcity?
What do we lose with all of the fragments left over that we do not gather up?
If these children of Israel have already eaten, who gets these crumbs?
How can 12 baskets fit in 5 loaves?  How much fish was left over?
What does it mean to be a public leader who also exists in private, withdrawn spaces?
Why did the disciples leave without Jesus and then get scared when he caught up to them?  What else did they expect?
Does Jesus always come in dark, rough times?  Was the Holy Spirit just being extra persistent? 
What does space mean when Jesus can manipulate both water and shore?
Did Jesus ever actually get into the boat?

What are your queeries?



Sermon:
Today's sermon drew on this queerying of the text as well as today's second reading: Ephesians 3:14-21.  I've noticed the places where this gospel queery has impacted my sermon, but if you want to know more of my insights into those connections, please let me know!!

The visual for today's sermon.

If you'd like to listen to the sermon, the whole service was once again recorded and you are welcome to listen to it.  The second reading begins at 16:10.  The gospel reading begins at 17:44.  My sermon begins at 21:20.


 

9th after pentecost year b - mark

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

30The apostles gathered around Jesus,

    and told him all that they had done and taught.

31Jesus said to them,

    “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves

         and rest a while.”

    For many were coming and going,

         and they had no leisure even to eat.

32And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.

    33Now many saw them going and recognized them,

         and they hurried there on foot from all the towns

              and arrived ahead of them.

34As Jesus went ashore,

    he saw a great crowd;

         and he had compassion for them,

              because they were like sheep without a shepherd;

         and Jesus began to teach them many things.
  
53When Jesus and the disciples had crossed over,

    they came to land at Gennesaret

    and moored the boat.

         54When they got out of the boat,

              people at once recognized Jesus,

              55and rushed about that whole region

              and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

                   56And wherever Jesus went,

                        into villages or cities or farms,

                             they laid the sick in the marketplaces,

                             and begged him that they might touch 
                                  even the fringe of his cloak;

                                  and all who touched it were healed.

Queeries for the text:

What is missing?
Does Jesus ever actually succeed at resting?
How much unpaid labor is unquestioningly expected from others?
Where does Jesus' compassion lead us now?
Who are the sheep without a shepherd, living aimlessly, in our time?
Which many things did Jesus teach them?
How long does it take to "rush about that whole region"?
How fast could word spread about the woman who touched Jesus' cloak?
What is the power of the fringe?
What artificial boundaries does Jesus continue to cross?

What are your queeries?



Sermon:

Today's sermon drew on both the queeries in this text and today's second reading: Ephesians 2:11-22.  I understand the connections between the queerying my sermon and am happy to share if you have any questions or queeries of your own, just let me know!

This is the visual for my sermon.

If you'd like to listen to the sermon, the second reading begins at 17:10, the gospel reading begins at 19:35, and the sermon itself begins at 21:27.